NCAA wrestling champ Mark Ellis, others join Aug. 27 ProElite show

In an effort to cultivate the next generation of MMA talent, the newly revamped ProElite Inc. has acquired a promising prospect.

Mark Ellis, a heavyweight who in 2009 won an NCAA Division I national championship while at University of Missouri, recently signed a multi-fight, long-term deal with the promotion.

ProElite Vice President of Fight Operations T. Jay Thompson on Wednesday evening confirmed the news with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). Ellis makes his debut on Aug. 27 as part of the promotion’s first event since its recent purchase by Stratus Media Group.

Ellis, who counted Strikeforce’s Tyron Woodley and Bellator’s Ben Askren among his teammates at Mizzou, migrated to the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., following his amateur wrestling career.

Now a sparring partner to former Olympian and current Strikeforce heavyweight Daniel Cormier and – prior to his shoulder injury – Cain Velasquez, Ellis has yet to make his professional MMA debut.

His opponent at the Aug. 27 event hasn’t been made official, though an earlier report from the “Honolulu Star-Advertiser” stated that former University of Hawaii linebacker Jake Heun (1-0) will be Ellis’ first charge.

Thompson also confirmed that former UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski (15-9) has signed a multi-fight deal with ProElite. Although verbal agreements are in place for Arlovski’s opponent, the executive declined to reveal his name.

Additionally, a middleweight matchup between UFC vet Drew McFedries (9-6) and Kala Hose (7-5) is in the works for the Aug. 27 event, as is a possible deal with recent UFC release and “The Ultimate Fighter 3″ winner Kendall Grove (12-9). Reagan Penn (0-0), the younger brother of UFC veteran B.J. Penn, also makes his pro debut at the show in the welterweight division.

A women’s bout pitting former Olympic wrestler Sara McMann (2-0) against Raquel Pa’aluhi (3-1) is in the works, as well.

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is probably the greatest female fighter on the planet, which is a tremendous feat. So why are we seemingly so obsessed with arguing about whether she could beat up men?